Vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, and fruits such as mango and cantaloupe, pack far more essential vitamins and minerals than most of their comrades-in-produce, including vitamin E, riboflavin, folic acid, magnesium, and beta-carotene — the superstar phytochemical that is vital to your baby's skin, bones, eyes, and cell growth. Try for a mix of both green and yellow (which actually also includes red, as in red pepper; and orange, as in yams, winter squash, carrots, cantaloupe and apricots) choices daily, and remember that when it comes to color, the deeper the better — and it's what's inside that counts. Deep-green romaine is a healthier choice than iceberg, and a cucumber isn't a green vegetable at all (once you slice into it). Count that glass of vegetable juice or that fruit smoothie toward your daily allowance, and consider eating one of your three servings raw or lightly cooked to benefit from constipation-fighting fiber. Also remember, if you're a vegetable shunner, you can fill your entire requirement the sweet way (with the right fruits).

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You're Expecting. Health information on this site is based on peer-reviewed medical journals and highly respected health organizations and institutions including ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), as well as the What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.